instincts. You, after all, are the one who told Drustan to trust me in the first place.”
“And if I was wrong?” Kiora asked weakly.
“Never question your instincts. It is in the questioning where you get lost.” He raised an eyebrow, making sure she understood before continuing. “Now to put your mind at ease, Drustan has agreed to do some work for me. I was very concerned with what happened yesterday. The Shifter should never have been able to make it that far, his intentions being what they were.”
“And Drustan agreed? Or did you trick him too?”
Lomay smiled grimly. “I deserved that. Surprisingly enough, Drustan agreed. His task will not be easy. They are bound to be suspicious of him, but he was worried about both you and Emane’s safety if the Shifters learn how to bypass the terms of their contract.”
Kiora stared at him for a long while before dropping her head into her hands. “Fine,” she agreed. She could almost hear Emane’s protests in her head. “What training did you have mind for me?” she asked. “I have the book Epona sent with me.”
“Although useful, you need help in other areas which need to be addressed. Alcander has agreed to train you in battle techniques, amongst other things.”
Kiora groaned inwardly. After last night she didn’t want to see Alcander for a while.
“When do we start?”
“Alcander was probably ready yesterday, so as soon as you can would be my guess. He can be quite impatient.” Lomay smiled at her before turning to go.
“Lomay?”
“Yes?”
“I want to be able to trust you. I need to be able to trust you. No more lies, no more tricks.”
Lomay evaluated her. “Perhaps I underestimated you.” He dipped his head. “You have my apologies, and my word.”
“Thank you.”
Lomay summoned a pile of strange black clothes to the bed. “You will need these for your training.”
Kiora sat there, worry picking her apart as Lomay closed the door behind him. She was worried about Emane—his state of mind more than anything—and worried about Drustan.
Emane? She called to him, without much hope he would answer. Emane? She waited, but heard nothing. Wherever Lomay took him, he was out of range for calling.
It wasn’t long before she felt Alcander’s thread approaching the house. She forced herself to take a deep breath. She would have to push it all away. She could not spend this time worrying about the others. There was so much to learn and she needed to focus. Emane will be fine, she told herself. He’ll be mad, but fine. And Drustan is right here. If there was any trouble she could help him.
Taking another deep breath she stood, neatly tucking her worries away. She picked up the pants from the pile on the bed. These pants were a material she was not familiar with. They were thick, black, shiny, and slippery to the touch. She had to jump and wiggle to get herself into them. They were the tightest things she had ever worn in her life, the fabric hugging her legs and hips like a second skin. “You have got to be kidding me,” she murmured, looking down at herself. She felt half naked. Picking up her shirt she groaned. It was made out of the same material and was just as snug as the pants. Sliding her feet into a soft, lightweight pair of shoes, she slowly peeked out the door, too embarrassed to walk out.
Alcander was outside leaning against a tree. “You’re late,” he said.
“I didn’t know there was a time.” Kiora noticed Alcander wore a matching outfit. Just as tight. She could see the ridges of his stomach and the swells of his biceps. Blushing, she quickly looked away. “Why are we wearing these ridiculous clothes?”
“They are not ridiculous, they are practical. Now let’s go.”
Kiora opened the door and stepped out. Alcander’s eyes lazily flicked down, then slowly returned to her face. Kiora no longer felt half naked—she felt completely exposed.
“Those fit nicely.”
“They’re tight.” Kiora squirmed, pulling at her shirt.
“Of course they are. Loose clothing is dangerous.”
“You didn’t wear this when we fought the Trackers,” she objected.
“This is for training. Stop whining and let’s go.”
Kiora grumbled but followed Alcander back up the path to the wooden bridge. As they approached her nerves kicked in.
Alcander turned abruptly. “First lesson. You will learn to cross this bridge without crying like a girl.”
Kiora’s temper flared. This much anger was new to her, and she had trouble controlling it. “A bridge? You are worried about me crossing